1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the metering and traffic management of electronic messages in a networked environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic messaging, and email in particular, is a heavily used means of communication between users within an organization due in part to its ease of use and suitability for communication that does not need to be completed in real time. The ease of use and pervasiveness of electronic messaging causes some users to perceive electronic messages as virtually costless, when in fact there is a cost to the organization providing users with the necessary messaging infrastructure. Examples of the costs not readily apparent to the user include the cost of storing and backing up messages, and the resources needed to handle message traffic generally.
Because these costs are not apparent, some users may make inappropriate or excessive use of the organization's messaging system, for example by sending a large number of messages of marginal informational value, needlessly addressing messages to a large number of recipients, or by using the messaging system to transfer large files to other users rather than using alternate file transfer and sharing services. This behaviour can result in a recipient receiving a large number of messages, making it difficult for the recipient to identify the more important messages that require attention. At the same time, the sender of a message may not realize the impact of his or her messaging behaviour on the recipient or messaging infrastructure.